28 September 2011

After signing a contract extension in the offseason, Pierre Thomas has seemed like a secondary component in the Saints' offense after years of valued production. Thus far in 2011, Thomas remains an ancillary weapon while fellow teammates Darren Sproles, Jimmy Graham, and Lance Moore have occupied the central playmaking roles.

Overall this season, Thomas has carried the ball 15 fewer times than rookie Mark Ingram and has been targeted 18 fewer times than Darren Sproles.

This past week against the Texans, Thomas logged a season-low 19 snaps among the 68 plays the Saints ran. While only playing 28% of the total offensive plays, Thomas still managed 28 yards rushing and 15 yards receiving on eight total opportunities (seven rush, one reception on one target).

Will this marginal role become a trend? Are Thomas' limited opportunities this season simply a function of in-game strategy? Or is the coaching staff managing Thomas' recovery from offseason ankle surgery in an attempt to keep him healthy all season?

Obviously, these are questions to which no one has an answer, aside from the Saints' coaches. But regardless, Thomas' understated role highlights the depth of offensive talent possessed by the Saints when considering the bigger picture in relation to Thomas' talent, contributions, and value to the Saints over the course of his career.

Since he's come into the NFL, Thomas has been undervalued and, perhaps, not properly rated among his peers. The origins of Thomas' role with the Saints started in 2007 when he came to training camp as an undrafted free agent from Illinois. He proceeded to win a roster spot by ousting the more highly-touted Antonio Pittman, the Saints' 2007 fourth round draft choice out of Ohio State.

When Thomas finally received an opportunity in the 2007 regular season, he pounced. During the season finale at Chicago, Thomas--with the RB duties solely to himself--rushed for 105 yards and caught 12 passes for 121 yards. In the process, Thomas became the first player to log both 100+ yards rushing and 100+ yards receiving in a single game vs. the Bears in the history of their franchise.

Less than 12 months prior, Thomas was deemed unworthy of being one of the 200+ players drafted into the NFL. When he finally got his chance, he accomplished something that no player in NFL history had done. An auspicious audition indeed.

Over the course of the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Thomas maintained a complementary role in the Saints' backfield with Reggie Bush; continued to develop into an exceptional player; and made his case for the more valuable of the two backs. Even after missing much of the 2010 season due to a gruesome ankle injury, Thomas still compared favorably to his colleagues at the RB position.

A look at a few important statistical benchmarks for Thomas from 2008 to the current date are noted as follows. These tables below gauge NFL RBs from 2008-2011 with a minimum of 300 rushing attempts and a minimum of 60 receptions.

This first table shows that Thomas' 4.7 yards per carry is 9th overall since 2008. This stat is a praiseworthy reflection of Thomas' vision, instincts and ability to break tackles. It is also impressive company he's amongst in this group. More importantly, this number reflects Thomas' high level of efficiency in the run game.

In the passing game, here's how Thomas ranks in receiving yards per game among his peers:

First, of the players listed above him, a majority of them (I count eight or nine) are the central playmakers on their respective teams and as such, receive more opportunities. Second, Thomas directly shared pass-catching duties with Reggie Bush who himself logged impressive receiving numbers during the same period.

That Thomas has been so productive in a frequently limited role again asserts his value and efficiency.

Thomas comes in tied for 13th in total TDs over this time period. What's most interesting to note is the quality of players he's outperformed in this category; many of these players are considered among the elite, while Thomas is almost never mentioned as anything other than a role player.

The last stats worth mentioning are "Success Rate" (SR) and "Expected Points Added" (EPA) that come courtesy of Advanced NFL Stats. Again, success rate measures the proportion of plays that a player is directly involved in that are considered successful. And expected points added measures a player's impact on the score of the game (more explanation here).

For the 2008 and 2009 seasons--those being seasons that Thomas participated in fully--Thomas ranked second among all NFL RBs in success rate in both seasons. Moreover, Thomas finished first in EPA in 2008 and fourth in EPA in 2009.

Most notably, these metrics reinforce the high level of efficiency Thomas delivers and the positive impact he brings when given the opportunity. His value, if these metrics are believed to be valid, is among the very best among his colleagues.

Today however, Thomas' role in the Saints offense is less certain.

For a large portion of 2010, Thomas remained sidelined with an ankle injury.

Not only did the 2011 offseason bring the additions of Mark Ingram (a versatile back in the mold of Thomas) and Darren Sproles (perhaps the most explosive Saints' playmaker yet), but Chris Ivory's 2010 campaign was a revelation for the Saints' staff and fans alike. Ivory raw skills--his power and his speed--make him an important player in the Saints' diverse arsenal.

With a paucity of consistent opportunities for the each of the myriad offensive weapons housed by the Saints, an ever-crowded backfield will likely continue to limit Thomas' role going forward, assuming the health of the Saints' backfield.

While Thomas' role may continue to be peripheral this season, it seems like that choice is simply a function of the offensive diversity and depth of talent instead of a reflection of Thomas' skills and value.

What Saints fans can take comfort in is the fact that when given the opportunities, Pierre Thomas is reliable, tough, versatile, efficient and performs among the best in the league.